The present invention relates generally to the construction art and, more particularly, to a support, related system, and method for holding a fluid-impervious barrier, keyway form, or both in place during the pouring of concrete.
When forming adjacent first and second concrete members, such as a slab or footing and a corresponding upstanding wall, placing a barrier between the members to prevent a fluid, such as water, from passing is sometimes desirable. This barrier, which is commonly referred to in the art as a xe2x80x9cwater stop,xe2x80x9d is usually formed from an elongated piece of metal, fiberglass, polymer, or composite material. Typically, the barrier is held in position such that it is partially covered by concrete during the pouring of the slab or footing over the reinforcement bars. Then, when the adjacent upstanding wall is poured atop the slab or footing, the concrete surrounds and covers the remaining exposed portion of the barrier. Accordingly, in the operative position, the barrier spans between the two concrete members to provide the desired fluid-imperviousness, which is particularly desirable in forming structures such as sewers, basements, roadways, spillways, or the like.
In conventional practice, the elongated barrier is held in place at certain intervals by pairs of guide wires suspended from the reinforcement bars or a makeshift support arm cantilevered directly from the form (or optionally supported from a separate stand positioned adjacent to the form). However, there are many shortcomings associated with all of these approaches. One significant limitation is that during the pouring of the concrete, neither the wire(s) nor the cantilevered support arm provides a sufficient holding force to prevent the barrier from flopping over to one side. Left unchecked, the flopped over barrier will not be in the desired substantially vertical position during the pouring of the concrete used to form the adjacent wall or other member, and thus will not create the desired fluid-imperviousness.
A second and perhaps equally important limitation is that support wires and makeshift cantilevered support arms are both time consuming and expensive to implement. For instance, when using a cantilevered support arm, a custom-sized slot must be formed in the distal end of the arm for receiving and holding the barrier in place. If the slot is not sized properly, the barrier may slip out and fall into the concrete during the pouring of the slab or footing. Of course, a difficult fishing operation may be required to retrieve the barrier. In addition, a stand or other structure may also be necessary to support the arm, which is of course not only time consuming to construct, but also usually of limited effectiveness due to the extreme forces frequently present when concrete is poured.
A related problem arises when forming a structural keyway in a first concrete member designed for receiving a corresponding key formed in a second, adjacent concrete member. Typically, a specialized support arm must be designed and constructed for supporting the individual keyway form or forms in the first concrete member during pouring. Like the specialized cantilevered support arms or wires used in an attempt to hold the water stop or barrier securely in place, these specialized support arms are expensive and time consuming to implement, and usually are of only limited effectiveness in providing the desired support function.
Accordingly, a need is identified for an improved manner of supporting a fluid-impervious barrier, such as a water stop, or even a keyway form during the pouring of concrete to form a reinforced concrete structure. The support would be inexpensive to fabricate, easy to install, and exceedingly reliable in operation. Overall, a substantial improvement over the makeshift prior art approaches would be realized, especially in terms of reducing installation time and expense.
In accordance with the purposes of the present invention as described herein, a support for a fluid-impervious barrier or keyway, support system, and related method of forming a fluid-impervious barrier between adjacent concrete members are all provided. Advantageously, the support is designed to reduce the time required for installing a water stop/barrier, keyway form, or a combination of the two, to a matter of minutes by eliminating the need for specialized support arms cantilevered from the form, troublesome wire supports hung from the reinforcement bars or members, or other like arrangements. Despite the ease and expeditiousness with which installation is achieved, the support of the present invention provides the holding force necessary to ensure that the barrier, water stop, or other keyway form is securely and reliably held in position as the surrounding concrete is poured, The support is also fabricated of low-cost, readily available materials, thereby further reducing the overall expense associated with the installation of a water stop between adjacent concrete members.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for assisting in supporting a fluid-impervious barrier between a pair of stable mounting points during the pouring of first and second adjacent concrete members is provided. The apparatus comprises a support including a channel portion for receiving a corresponding portion of the barrier. The support further comprises a pair of spaced leg portions, each for attachment to a corresponding one of the pair of mounting points. Thus, when attached to the mounting points, the support assists in holding the barrier in place during the pouring of the concrete members.
In one embodiment, the channel portion forming a part of the support is substantially U-shaped. The spaced leg portions are upstanding and at least partially outwardly divergent relative to the channel portion. Preferably, the mounting points are reinforcement members (bars/dowels, steel, or the like) and means for attaching each of the leg portions to the respective reinforcement members such as a tie or other fastener are also provided.
In another embodiment, and in addition to providing support for a barrier or water stop, the apparatus may also support one or more keyway forms. To do so, the support is provided with at least one, and most preferably a pair of opposing wings. These wings serve to support a portion of first and second keyway forms, such as those used to form a keyway in a first concrete member.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a system for preventing fluids from passing between first and second adjacent concrete members including a plurality of stable mounting points is provided. The system comprises an elongated substantially fluid-impervious barrier and a plurality of supports for holding the barrier in place both prior to and during the pouring of the concrete forming the first and second adjacent concrete members. Each of the supports includes a channel portion for receiving a portion of the barrier and first and second spaced leg portions, each for attachment to one of the pair of mounting points. Means for attaching each leg to the corresponding mounting point, such as a tie or other fastener, are also provided.
In one embodiment, the stable mounting points are reinforcement members provided in aligned spaced pairs, and each one of the plurality of supports is attached to an adjacent pair of reinforcement members. Also, in a preferred embodiment, each support carries at least one, and preferably a pair of wings for supporting keyway forms during the pouring of the first concrete member. Instead of wings, it should be appreciated that any attachment means, such as a tie, fastener, or the like, may be used to attach one or more keyway forms between each support (or a plurality of supports) during the pouring of the first concrete member.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, a method of pouring first and second adjacent concrete members on a plurality of stable mounting points such that a substantially fluid-impervious barrier is formed therebetween is provided. The method comprises attaching a first support having a channel to a first pair of stable mounting points and attaching a second support having a channel to a second pair of stable mounting points. At least one fluid-impervious barrier is then placed between the channels of the first and second supports. Once the barrier is in place, the concrete for forming the first concrete member is poured over at least a portion of the barrier. The concrete for forming the second concrete member is then poured over a remaining portion of the barrier, either immediately after the first pouring or at some later point in time, such as after the first concrete member fully or partially cures or hardens. Accordingly, with the barrier thus in place, fluid is prevented from passing between the first and second concrete members.
In a conventional construction operation, the first concrete member is a slab or footing and the stable mounting points are reinforcement members. Accordingly, the method further includes constructing a form around the plurality of reinforcement members for containing the concrete poured to create the slab or footing. Likewise, the second concrete member is typically a wall or other upstanding structure and the method further includes constructing a form around said plurality of reinforcement members for containing the concrete poured to create the wall. However, it is within the broadest aspects of the invention for the concrete members to be formed in any shape, position, or using any known means for containing the poured concrete, as long as some form of stable mounting points, such as the sidewalls of the form, reinforcements, such as rebar, dowels, steel, grids, or the like, are provided for holding the water stop supports in place.
In addition to supporting a barrier, each support may also carry at least one, and preferably a pair of opposing wings. When these wings are present, the method further includes placing at least one keyway form between the wings such that a keyway is formed in the first concrete member during pouring. As should be appreciated, the keyway form is removed prior to pouring the second concrete member such that a key is formed therein corresponding to the keyway.
In one embodiment, each support has a pair of spaced legs, and attaching each support to the pair of stable mounting points/reinforcement members includes providing a tie for attaching each leg of the support to the corresponding mounting point/reinforcement member.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, an assembly for assisting in supporting at least one keyway form from a pair of stable mounting points during the pouring of concrete is provided. The assembly comprises a support including a pair of spaced legs, each for attachment to a corresponding one of the pair of mounting points. Means for attaching the at least one keyway form to the support is also provided such that the support assists in holding this form in place during the pouring of the concrete. In one embodiment, the attachment means comprises at least one wing carried on the support for holding said keyway form in place. In a second embodiment, the attachment means comprises at least one tie off for tying the keyway form to the support. Preferably, as noted above, the stable mounting points are reinforcement members or bars, but the use of other types of structures for holding the support in place is also possible.